Landing-steps.



E. R. LORD.

LANDING STEPS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. I916- nsncww 05c. 18. 19I6.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET l Wale/L106 A TTORNEY$ E. R LORD.

LANDING STEPS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. I916. RENEWED DEC. 18,1916.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 WITNESS OR/VEN EDWARD R. LORD, OF READING, MASSACHUSETTS.

LANDING-STEPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 313, 191%.

Application filed March 23, 1916, Serial No. 86,315. Renewed December 18, 1916. Serial No. 137,696.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD B. LORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Reading, in the county of Middlesex, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Landing-Steps, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to the class of steps used, for convenience and safety, in passing from boat or landing float to a dock, and my immediate object is to provide serviceable, and reasonably cheap, steps which will rise and fall with the tide and will automatically adjust themselves so that the several treads will remain at all times in parallel relation to each other and in an approximate level position, whether the tide be high or low. This desirable result I attain by means of the novel construction of steps illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of steps embodying my present improvement, showing the same connected to a dock and landing float.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the upper end portion of the steps and of a portion of the dock, illustrating particularly one man ner of hinging the steps to the dock. Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the treads and of portions of the side rails in which the treads are journaled, and Fig. 4 is an edge view of said tread.

Fig. 5 is a transverse, sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a plan view of a metal tread having a facing of rubber or the like material and Fig. 7 is an edge View of the same.

In these drawings the numeral 20 indicates a landing float and 21 indicates a portion of a dock. 22 is a platform mounted to roll freely on the said landing float and provided with uprights 2324 to which are hinged the lower ends of the side rails 25 and 26 of my improved steps, as will be best understood by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings. The upper ends of the said side rails are hinged to the dock 21. In Fig. 2 said rails are hinged, at 27, to brackets 28 that are bolted to the dock and, by preference, I also connect the said rails with the dock by means of a chain 29 so that, in the event of the breaking away of the hinge pintle 27 the steps will be prevented from Copies of this patent may be obtained for falling. In Fig. 1 I have illustrated said side rails as hinged at 27 to a platform which is bolted to the dock. The treads of the steps are denoted by the numerals 30 and each tread has fixedly secured thereto a bar or plate 31 whose ends are extended beyond the tread and turned down to provide journals 3131 which are loosely seated in holes in the side rails 25-26.

Each journal 31 is further extended and shouldered down, as at 31 to receive a spur gear 32 that is clamped to the bar 31 by means of a nut 33 in such manner that the said gear and the bar 31, and the tread 30 are, in eflect, a single structure and are adapted to rock as such in the side rails. Each of the treads is thus provided with a spur gear 32 and between the adjacent gears are intermediate gears 34 by means of which the several gears 32 are connected in train and, by reason of which, the several treads are caused to rock in unison.

Fixedly secured to the stand 23 is a spur gear 35 which is in mesh with the lower gear of the described train.

When the float 20 rises or falls with the tide the platform 22 is caused to rise or fall correspondingly but always preserves an approximate level position. As the said platform rises the side rails of the steps are caused to approach a horizontal position but the described train of gearing causes the several treads 30 to maintain a horizontal position whatsoever the inclination of the side rails may be.

The treads may be made of wood, as in Fig. 1, or may be made of metal, with a rubber facing (to prevent the feet of the user of the steps from slipping), as in Figs. 6 and 7. Risers 30 may be attached to the front-edges of the treads if desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent In combination with a dock and a landing float, steps hinged to said dock and slidably supported on said float; said steps consisting of side rails, treads journaled to rock in said side rails, and means consisting of a train of gearing connecting the journals of the treads for automatically maintaining said treads in horizontal position regardless of the angle of inclination of the side-rails.

EDWARD R. LORD.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

